• General Notes

  James Kerr was named one of the original Justices of the Peace in Augusta County, Virginia when the first Augusta County Court was formed on December 9, 1745. Also named as Justices of the Peace were John and Andrew Pickens. Several of the Pickens family intermarried with the Kerr's and other prominent Augusta County families. The family of James Kerr were members of Tinkling Spring Presbyterian Church, the first church formed in Augusta County, Virginia, near present day Staunton, Virginia. (Source: "The Tinkling Spring: Headwater of Freedom", by Howard McKnight Wilson, pub. 1954.
  
  
  Jim Veregge, Cerritos, CA
  Delijim@aol.com
  "He and his family migrated from Scotland to Pennsylvania before 1728-1730, when his sons were married, probably in Chester/Lancaster County, Pennsylvania (Lancaster was formed in 1729 from part of Chester County). Many researchers believe that this Kerr family came from Paxton Township, in Chester/Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and this has been at least partially corroborated by a statement of Lt. General Andrew Pickens (The Pickens family was very close to the Kerr family, and intermarried several times):
  
  1811 letter by Gen. Andrew Pickens to General Light Horse Harry Lee in which Gen. Pickens states that he was born in Paxton township (located in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania). It's transcribed in Sharp's history of the Pickens family, p. 135.
  
  "I was born in PA, Paxton Township, on the 19th Sept. 1739. My father removed with his family when I was very young to Virginia, and settled for a few years west of where Staunton now stands about 8 miles, and in the year 1752 or 3, removed to the Waxhaws and was amongst the first settlers of that part of South Carolina. My father and mother came from Ireland. My father's progenitors emigrated from France after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes."
  
  In 1738/9, James Kerr purchased land in the Orange/Augusta County, Virginia area, where they migrated with several other prominent Scotch families (Buchanan, Steele, Pickens, Anderson, Allison, Campbell, Robertson and Hays just to name a few).
  
  There was a James Ker of Augusta County, who left a will in Orange County, Virginia (the predecessor county of Augusta County) in Will Book 2, 66-7, dated 18 April 1745, proved 22 August 1745. This will mentions brothers DAVID and HUGH KERR; Charles Lewis, son of Col. John Lewis; William, son of William Hutchison; Elinor, wife of George Hutchison, MARGARET SPEAR, MARGARET PICKENS, William Henderson, Gabriel Home and DAVID CRAIG. It was witnessed by Andrew Russell and William Lewis. NOTE: In 1761, Andrew Russell witnessed a deed of John and Lucy Kerr to John Allison. Note, too the PICKENS reference. This James Kerr, COULD be a father of the James Kerr that died in 1770 in Augusta County. With the Pickens, Spear and Craig references, he is undoubtedly related, more research is necessary to prove a relationship.
  
  
  
  James Kerr was one of the first settlers of Augusta County, Virginia, and built a large log house on Middle River between 1738-1740. This house, was used as an early meeting and court-house for the newly formed county of Augusta (formed in 1738-1745). This house was a rather large house, needed to house his large family that recently arrived from Pennsylvania. It is depicted and discussed in detail in the book "Kerrs and Kin, 1730-1930", by Vincent Brown Kerr, published 1930 in Staunton, Virginia.
  
  
  
  This house is also pictured and described in Old Homes of Augusta County, The Pioneer Home of the Kerr Family, by Gladys B. Clem, Ninth of Landmark Series, pp. 53-56."
  
  An Archibald Hamilton was administrator of the estate of James Kerr in Augusta County, Va in 1770. John Kerr's land is mentioned.
  
  http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=marciamcclure&id=I20141&style=TABLE

Details of James' family with Martha Ball